Concrete Pavers As A Paving Material

Concrete pavers are available in so many varieties today!

They come in a multitude of colors, patterns and finishes. They can be used for patios, walkways, porches, pool paving, driveway designs, pool coping, and steps.

They can have a more finished look, or they can look like stone to give a more natural look.

The latter are referred to as tumbled pavers, and these are quite popular, especially in a patio paver design.


The Outdoor Paver - How Is It Made?

They are made from a concrete blend with coloring and are compacted in a special machine at very high pressures. An outdoor paver is different from brick in that brick is actually made from clay and baked at very high temperatures.

Cobblestone pavers are often referred to as tumbled concrete pavers. They can be uneven on the surface or smooth. Although they often are called cobblestone pavers, they are not true granite cobblestone pavers. These are sometimes used on a cobblestone driveway or driveway apron.

Some people are concerned that cobblestone pavers are harder to walk on, but it's a personal preference. At any rate, whether they have the rough or smooth surface, they both can be tumbled and have a more natural appearance than those that are not.

There are various ways to create tumbled pavers, but often they are actually tumbled in a large drum to create a rough, stone-like appearance.

Beveled pavers have what looks like a chiseled, smooth edge. They are a clean cut look and are not tumbled. There are other non-tumbled pavers also.

Colors

When selecting a color, one of the first things I do is look at the color and material of the house. You want the color of both to blend exceptionally well together.

Sometimes things are easy. For example, if you have a white clapboard house, there are many colors that will look well. You can use grays, beiges, browns, carmel and rust.

However, a brick house is more challenging. Take a look at the color of the grout. Gray grout and brick looks well with gray pavers. Beige grout lends itself to those that are more of a beige color.

The concrete pavers you choose can be one, uniform color. They can also be a blend, where each paver is a mixture of two or more colors. You might use the blend, and then add in a certain percentage of another complimentary color for interest, say 20%.

You can include a border along the edge of the hardscape, called a soldier course, and this may be a complimentary color. The border might be the coping of a pool and it could be a different color than the pool decking. There are many different possibilities!

• Whether using the pavers for a walkway, paver patio design, or another area, I like the pattern to compliment the material of the house. For example, if your house is faced with brick, try using larger sized concrete pavers, to compliment rather than fight the brick shapes.
• I find that there are very few situations where a random pattern does not look good. It is interesting and fun. You can incorporate 3 or 4 different sizes. Also, because of the layout, there are very few continuous straight lines (which can show up poor workmanship with the evidence of crooked lines).
• An interesting feature to include in the design is what is called a "circle kit". It is a radiating circle of pavers that is placed in the design. It can be a lot of fun and adds excitement to large paved areas.

One of the advantages of pavers is that they are dry-laid so there is no concrete involved. Here is a very brief explanation of how pavers are installed.

• Excavate the soil to a depth of 4" to 10", depending on your soil conditions. The base soil should be undisturbed or else it must be compacted.
• Crushed stone is added on top of the soil. Then a layer of coarse sand is laid on top of the stone.
• The pavers are placed on top of the sand, and they are swept with either joint sand or polymeric sand, which hardens and prevents weeds from growing in the joints.

Because of this installation method, pavers are very forgiving. If by any chance over time there is movement, pavers can be easily picked up and laid again. Pavers are also not as hot on the feet as bluestone, particularly the lighter color pavers. Therefore, they can be a good choice for swimming pool decking. However, some of the darker colors can still be very hot and uncomfortable.

Bluestone looks very nice with concrete pavers. You might incorporate it as the treads for steps or as the coping on a patio seatwall. Natural stone also works well with concrete pavers. Stone can be used as the risers for steps and for patio walls.

Return From Concrete Pavers to Home Page